Tiger
Artist
Mori Tetsuzan
(Japanese, 1775 – 1841)
Datesecond quarter of 19th century
PeriodEdo period (1615–1868)
MediumHanging scroll; ink and colors on silk
DimensionsOverall (Knobs): 86 × 41 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (218.4 × 106 × 3.8 cm)
Support: 86 × 38 1/2 in. (218.4 × 97.8 cm)
Image: 50 13/16 × 33 1/4 in. (129.1 × 84.5 cm)
Support: 86 × 38 1/2 in. (218.4 × 97.8 cm)
Image: 50 13/16 × 33 1/4 in. (129.1 × 84.5 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 2018
Object numberSN11597
Ears flattened, green eyes narrowed, the tiger twists its body and issues a terrible roar. The soft texture and magnificent pattern of its coat is built up from the delicate layering of thousands of long, fine brushstrokes. Although tigers are not native to Japan and the artist is unlikely to have seen a live specimen, he delivered a convincing portrayal of the animal’s power and ferocity. Tetsuzan was a student of Maruyama Ōkyo (1733–1795), a pioneer of realistic painting in early modern Japan.
On View
Not on view
c.1930s-50s
early–mid 19th century